Looking a lot like something I have already done

Today I decided that I had better try to get my little textile sample done as it is almost time for the next class. I decided to go with the paper collage for my inspiration - my drawings are very uninspiring so far.

As I have so many little pieces of silk that I experimented with in the past, doing natural dyeing, I decided I should try to use them up. Out they came and I had a lovely time playing with them. The final piece has ended up quite small. If it works, and I can think of an application for this work, I have plenty of fabric to use.

My fabrics tended to be sorted into colour groups and the variation is mainly in tone, rather than colour. So I have produced a work rather like my first one, the black free motion embroidery. Actually, now that I have had a look at it, it is not very different at all! I may have got stuck on the one theme.

If I have time, I might try to do another, using different colours and shapes. One thing that is different with the textile work is that you do have to keep in mind how to keep the piece together when it is fabric based, not something you have to think about when you are sticking pieces onto paper and drawing around them.

I laid out small pieces of fabric onto some soluble fabric. I wondered how I would be able to keep them aligned, even if I pinned them and used a hoop - which looked like being a necessity. Then it came to me, I had seen a sample recently of soluble fabric that is sticky on one side. Off I rushed to buy some. (I'm so glad that I live close to the shop that has interesting products for machine embroidery, it is a machine embroidery specialist place and has loads of cheap products that are amazingly interesting to play with.)

I laid out the fabric again and it stuck beautifully, it lifts easily too so that you can rearrange the design quite easily.  I did wonder how it would sew, would the foot of the sewing machine stick to the fabric? It did stick a tiny bit but not enough to hamper my sewing. I only did a very basic stitch and was using a straight stitch, and the normal sewing foot with normal pressure, so I don't know how it would go with lots of moving around. I didn't need a hoop though, a bonus as far as I am concerned.

The fabric dissolved quite well - I used hot water from the tap, not too hot to put my hand in.
I realised that some of the larger areas of stitching haven't worked well, I will have to go over them again when it dries.

Here it is, drying on some paper towel.  It needs a little bit more work but is basically finished. Now to try something with some colour.